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Oxford Dictionaries chose ‘post-truth’ as its Word of the Year for 2016. Western media seems to be full of examples of how we live in a post-truth world, as well as frequent discussions about it. What is the state of the media in a post-truth society? Why does fake news circulate so fast in social media? How should we respond as Christians?

Thank you for raising us out of the gutter’ was how my editor put it, when I left my last newspaper. I wasn’t a born-again believer yet – but was on the way. God is at work in us even before we can speak the required religious formulae – and is at work in a hundred more ‘secular’ newsrooms up and down the country.

News media play a significant role in the everyday lives for most of us. Therefore we need to actively engage the news by asking key questions. In 12 Questions to Ask When Watching the News, I suggest the following question as the final one:

How do a classical Christian view of humanity and the world help us to understand the wider context of the major news stories?

Journalism is a key profession in today’s media world. We need journalists who represent various worldviews and faith commitments – with a united commitment to truth, fairness, independence and human dignity. I am convinced that the Christian worldview provides the most credible intellectual foundation for these key values in journalism.